Pinnacle Agriculture Holdings acquires Whittington-Sanders

Whittington-Sanders, formerly a joint venture between Whittington Wholesale and Jimmy Sanders Incorporated, will now fully operate as part of Pinnacle's Sanders brand.

Located in Tunica, Mississippi, Whittington-Sanders was formed in 1995 as a full-service farm supply operation, providing seed, fertilizer, and crop protection chemicals, as well as feed and other farm supplies to local growers.

The new Sanders location will be managed by former Whittington-Sanders co-owners, Ken Whittington and James Whittington, and will remain located at 1265 Highway 61 South, Tunica, Mississippi 38676. The current employees of Whittington-Sanders will retain their positions under the new ownership.

The Whittington family has operated in the wholesale and retail industries for almost an entire century. In 1922, Whittington Wholesale began as a commissary offering wholesale groceries and feed to local patrons.

The company continued dealing in groceries and agricultural products until 1986, at which time they transitioned completely to agriculture.

Whittington Wholesale was a loyal Jimmy Sanders Incorporated customer for many years before forming a joint venture, Whittington-Sanders, in 1995. Since that time, Whittington-Sanders has provided the farmers of Tunica and surrounding areas with quality farm inputs and related agricultural products.

"We have had an excellent run as Sanders' business partner for the past 19 years. We felt it would be advantageous to our long-time customers to roll 100 percent of our business into the Sanders business model in order to provide more complete and efficient service to our growers," said Whittington-Sanders co-owner, James Whittington.

"There will be some subtle improvements in supply chain, inventory, and customer account management that will be to their benefit. As far as faces and service, our customers won't notice any change at all. This should be a great opportunity for our customers and for us."

"We are extremely pleased with the recent acquisition of our long-time business partner," said Gill Corban, Area Operations Manager. "This is a unique situation in that Whittington-Sanders already felt like family.

"We look forward to continuing this relationship under the Sanders brand, and we are confident that area farmers will experience a smooth transition and continue to receive the same timely, hometown service that they have come to rely on."

Founded in Cleveland, Mississippi, in 1953, Sanders has become one of the leading farm supply distribution businesses with over 100 locations across the southern United States. The company is multifaceted in its operations, which include agricultural chemical distribution, seed production and sales, bulk handling of fertilizer and, through its award-winning OptiGro® program, precision agriculture services.